Wednesday, May 26, 2010

This week has been quite the week! Thankfully we had some good friends come and stay with us for a few days to help lighten the load! After we worked non-stop for about 2 days, to include transplanting lettuce for hours, processing about 100 chickens, driving to Boone and back 3 times, and to Moravian Falls a couple of times, starting our first ever CSA, and trying to eat in between, our boys and our friend decided to take the motorcycle for a fun ride before the start of the next chore. Whew! Anyhow, that fun ride turned into a trail making adventure! We now have a new trail to the creek, however its a little steep, so we'll have to work on that, maybe next visit!

Monday, May 24, 2010

We processed the first batch of the year and all went very well! We had a lot of help from some great friends! We were able to get all of the birds done and everything cleaned up in a very reasonable time thanks to the stainless tables and wash station that was just given to us, and the processing equipment that was loaned to us by a friend in Boone. I am ready for the next batch! Well, maybe in a about 5-6 weeks anyway!

New equipment!

Dunking the 4 birds at once into the scalder...

Taking the 4th bird out of the plucker, this is a great machine!

Part of the eviscerating team..

Making the cuts in the cones, 8 at once...very humane somewhat kosher kill....

Saturday, May 22, 2010

This is a post that a friend of ours wrote today, something good to think about!

"WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO

We watched three documentaries about food and agriculture during the off-season: "Food Beware," "Supersize Me," and "Food Inc.," all of which we recommend to you all. We wanted to share some thoughts here that these movies spawned by focusing on the restaurant chain Chipotle. The founder of Chipotle was interviewed in an addition to the movie "Food Inc." We've never been to a Chipotle chain, but listening to the interview and reading about Chipotle on their website, it's clear that they are a leading example of the organic movement. What struck us, though, was how little it takes to be a leading example. We're inclined at first to think their standards are so weak as to be worthless. On the other hand, we don't really know of a restaurant that does any better. To gain some perspective on the whole organic movement, we wanted to point out what organic standards like Chipotle's do and don't mean. How would you, as a consumer, evaluate their organic claims? If you want to take the time, to understand better what we're responding to, we'd
encourage you to first read what Chipotle says on their website about what they call "food with integrity."http://www.chipotle.com/html/fwi.aspx
Here are some things we see. The chickens Chipotle buys aren't given antibiotics and they're given marginally more space than other chickens, but they're still made of fully conventional grains, and they're still crowded in confinement houses. Their chickens are given zero freedom to forage naturally for grubs and worms or evrything green or fresh -- this is perversely touted as an all vegetarian diet. The chicks meanwhile come from farms that don't follow any organic practices at all. Their pork is similarly fed fully conventional grains (pesticides, herbicides,interspecies genetic modifications, etc.), and farmers can give the hogs pharmaceutical injections so long as they follow protocols for preventing retained needles. The dairies that supply Chipotle can also keep cows crowded in confinement houses, not eating any fresh grass, use antibiotics, and use hormone injections for reproductive management (just not rBGH.) Separating from the industrial system that dominates American agriculture is incredibly difficult, and Chipotle doesn't claim to have fully arrived, but the big question is where their approach will take us. At the very least we should recognize that there's a very viable marketing niche heading in the same direction as the rest of industrial agriculture, just one step behind. There's no real hope in that. We think we need to be careful and work hard to put more integrity in our
cause and to really seek after a more fully separate and self-sufficient system of agriculture. Of course, we have to start where we are, and that's tightly bound and interconnected to our industrial system, but the sheer size and momentum of the industrial system will surely drag us further along with it if we don't pursue real independence seriously. It seems to us that the real problem is that various forms of industrialization (mechanization, labor-saving chemicals, pharmaceuticals, artificial fertilizers, artificial draft power, etc.)
have gradually destroyed the system and culture of working knowledge, shared community, and face-to-face accountability that is our only trustworthy protection against industrial abuses. It seems good to focus
even more on shortening supply lines (for example, eating more home-prepared meals from more locally sourced raw ingredients) and on regaining real personal and community control of our food system (all the way back to the source of the manure that fertilizes the crops that feed our animals.) It seems to us that any other strategy will only come back around to bite us in the rear."

Actually I just saw this on my screensaver and decided to post it. I took this in Sicily while I was there. The volcano has provided some very fertile soil, a lot of neat crops are grown there. We are slowly learning the whole soil fertility requirments for each crop, there's a lot to learn!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

There comes a day when you realize that your kids are all grown up. Although it takes years in reality, there are certain events that seem to speed up the process. One is their first haircut! Cedar has been looking forward to this for a long time, and now that "my head shaved!!!" has happened, we are expecting grown-upness from him! He is so excited, as you can tell!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

First of all, if this is offensive to anyone, I think I apologize, meaning I hesitate to apologize for something that I have no harmful intentions. Okay, last night at dinner we all sat down and I was ending the prayer with "In the name of Jesus, amen". Immediately, Skylar says "I started praying in the name of Yeshua". It sorta stopped us for a second because although we do not disagree with others that do that, we have never ended prayer that way, so I was explaining what I thought about it to him, and Journey, with a puzzled look (in her very loud, dramatic Journey way) yells questionably "In the name of Ed Schuler????" What a laugh we all had!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Hello! Hurray for the rain! We have been enjoying all of the rain here on the farm, the veggies love it! It also makes weeding a whole lot easier! There are a few more things available this week, and the time for delivery/pick-up will be 5-6 pm at the same location inWilkesboro. This week, May 18th, we have:

The best soap around is also available, as well as lip balm, lotions, facial care items, and bug spray!

Last Thursday evening we started participating in the Blowing Rock Farmers Market. It went very good, and I believe that it will only get better! There are a lot of people in that area that are very motivated in supporting local food.

We plan on having chicken ready for the 2nd CSA delivery, June 1st. If you would like your chickens not to be frozen, please arrange to make a pick up on the evening of the 31st. Please let us now if that is your plan so we can set up a time for you. All other chickens will be frozen and ready for purchase starting June 1st. Those of you that took advantage of the Early Commitment Promotion, we can have those be available at the June 1st. delivery/pick-up between 5-6pm, otherwise please email for on farm pick-up on a different date.

Thank you for all of your support!

Dale and Cory and all the little farmers here at Harmony Acres!

(flower at the top is one of our Columbines in bloom, and the one at the bottom is our Lambs Ear in bloom)

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Well passed the CNG process! I know its not the Organic Cert. that everyone looks for, buuuttt, it is a step in the right direction, and it gives our customers peace of mind! The program is pretty neat, and a lot less expensive, so its nice to be a part of.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

"In 1854 a group of God fearing people of West German, Swiss and Alsatian ancestry left New York State and founded the seven villages of Amana in the fertile fields of Iowa. They established their own woolen mills. wagon shops, furniture factory and other industries. Each member contributed some particular skill handed down from father to son in true old world tradition."......

This is something I found inside of a used upright freezer we purchased this weekend. Wow! Would we ever see that on products made today? Not many! I have been trying to come up with something that we might find on an appliance manual if we were to buy one new today and I have drawn a blank. Well not really a blank, but definitely nothing that would be similar to the above. It might say something like: "Made by the the cheapest labor we could find, in another country that has a larger population of individuals that are willing to work for mere pennies in order to support their families. We strive to make sure that our company executives have the highest standard of living, attained by a profit margin that would make your head spin if we were to be truthful in our business practices. Our equipment is designed to last a few years, and is non-repairable, which allows you to build up your credit score by purchasing a new appliances regularly. We have in mind to put repair companies out of business, therefore allowing us to expand our country clubs and use up farmland that allows their animals to use the same air you do, possibly causing world-wide disease. Enjoy your recent purchase."
Now I know that might sound ridiculous, but maybe it's not. Quality and service is hard to find, so when you do see it, encourage and be a patron! I love to see all the new young vendors at the market in Boone, NC, that have put their hearts into the products they are creating. It's a great and rare thing!
Well enough of that! It is raining! The rain is coming down very lightly, and it felt great on my back as I was taking care of all of the potato beetles that had it in mind to wipe out our crops! The cucumber beetles have moved in as well! This is where farming organically really tries your true heart. It would be very easy to apply sevens dust, or what ever else is used in the industry, however the trade-off is poisoned food. Its amazing how much we learn as we continue on in this adventure. The leaves of a potato absorb all the nutrients, from the sun and air, as well as the soil, so if we are spraying poison on them, it only makes sense that the potato will be getting fed poison. Aren't I a genius?
We plan to try eggplant again, but the beetles and flea-like bugs have completely devoured every eggplant plant the we set. They were in several different areas, but all had the same results.

Our chickens are growing strong. We have two that have lame legs, so we are feeding them liver and ragweed, which are high in riboflavin's, in a separate "hospital" pen.